Antonio Valencia is loving life being a United player, and he's got amitions of winning silverware in his first season...Apart fro…

Antonio Valencia is loving life being a United player, and he's got amitions of winning silverware in his first season...

Apart from Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra, you’ve played more games than anyone for United this term. Did you expect to play such a big role?
To be honest, I didn’t expect to be playing as much as I have. I thought I’d be used sparingly at first and then more and more as I settled in at the club, but as a footballer you train hard so that you’re always prepared to play. Then it’s down to the manager to make the decisions, and he has given me lots of opportunities. I’m really enjoying my United career so far, and this is just the start.

Why do you think your goalscoring has improved so much since your Wigan days?
I’m getting into the box more than ever before in my career. I’m encouraged to get forward and there are a lot of balls coming in from the left side, so I’ve been able to get to the far post and get on the end of quite a few crosses.

How exciting is it for you personally to be chasing silverware in the second half of the campaign?
I’m very happy because the big games are coming thick and fast. We’re ready and focused for a long run of matches with high stakes.

And what do you think of United’s chances of winning some silverware?
We want to win as much as we can. We want to win trophies at all costs and to retain the Premier League title and make it four in a row. That is very, very important to us.

Do United have a big following in Ecuador, now that you play for the Reds?
I wouldn't say all of Ecuador are now United fans, but certainly my family and friends have converted. They’re all big football fans though; they don’t just watch the games for me. A lot of them came over to Manchester in December and stayed to watch a couple of games. Luckily one of those was the Wigan game, so they got to see me score!

Q&A Antonio Valencia

10TH FEB 2010

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